Kimi Antonelli, 19, wins Chinese Grand Prix for first F1 victory

Field Level MediaSun, March 15, 2026 at 3:04 PM UTC

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Formula One F1 - Chinese Grand Prix - Shanghai International Circuit, Shanghai, China - March 15, 2026 Mercedes' Andrea Kimi Antonelli celebrates after winning the Chinese Grand Prix. (REUTERS/Jakub Porzycki)

Kimi Antonelli, a 19-year-old Italian, won his first Formula 1 race Sunday, driving to victory in the Chinese Grand Prix.

Antonelli finished ahead of Mercedes teammate George Russell by 5.515 seconds, while Lewis Hamilton placed third for his first podium with Ferrari.

The McLarens of Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri suffered catastrophic electrical failures prior to the race, and both cars were done and out before the green flag dropped.

At the finish, the day belonged to Antonelli, who became the second-youngest winner of a Grand Prix race. Max Verstappen is the youngest, having won the 2016 Spanish Grand Prix at the age of 18.

"Thank you so much to my team because they have helped me to achieve this dream," Antonelli said through tears after the race.

Russell maintains the overall championship lead by four points over Antonelli by strength of his runner-up finish. Russell won the season-opening Australian Grand Prix with Antonelli second.

Hamilton's podium finish capped a spirited back-and-forth battle with Ferrari teammate Charles Leclerc. The pair exchanged positions several times before Hamilton prevailed for third. Leclerc finished fourth.

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At the start, Antonelli, who had won the pole in record fashion, gave up the lead as the Ferraris took command early. But Antonelli reclaimed the lead on Lap 2 and never looked back.

Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff attempted to put Antonelli's accomplishment in perspective, telling Sky Sports, "It's rarely that I'm overwhelmed but that is such a moment. I think it's [the first victory] maybe come earlier than I thought because last year we said that it's going to be a difficult year with many ups and downs, and mistakes.

"Then bang, second race [this season], he's controlled it from the front, driven very well today. So he's probably a little bit better than the trajectory that I thought."

Rounding out the top 10 were Haas driver Oliver Bearman in fifth, followed by Alpine's Pierre Gasly, Liam Lawson of Racing Bulls, Red Bull's Isack Hadjar, Carlos Sainz of Williams and another Alpine driver, Franco Colapinto, in 10th.

Formula 1 will next race at the Japanese Grand Prix on March 29.

The two events scheduled to follow -- the Bahrain Grand Prix (April 12) and Saudi Arabian Grand Prix (April 19) -- were canceled due to war in the Middle East. F1 will take a break until the Miami Grand Prix on May 3.

-Field Level Media

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Source: “AOL Sports”